The crowd swelled and screamed, pausing a moment to make sure it had really happened.

It had. The drought was over.

For two 40-minute halves and more than 11 minutes of overtime, Bartram Trail dominated possession and took five times as many shots as visiting Creekside, but the home squad couldn’t get past Knights keeper Mikki Lewis to secure the Bears’ first trip to the state playoffs since 2010.

Then, with just over eight minutes left in the second overtime, Bartram midfielder Lauren Small collected the ball at the top of the 18-yard box and figured out the key to beating Lewis. She ripped a shot that deflected off a Creekside player’s hip and sailed into the net, handing the Bears a 1-0 win that clinched a playoff spot and a meeting with defending Class 3A state champion Ponte Vedra in Friday’s District 4-3A final at 7 p.m.

The goal was a sweet release for the Bears (16-2-2), who had seen wave after wave of their attacks fall flat. They seemed destined for a penalty shootout until Small’s strike saved the day and sparked a celebratory pile-up on the field.

“Creekside played so tough, and I give them all the credit in the world,” said Bartram coach Jen West, who managed to escape a post-match Gatorade bath. “We were hoping it was just a matter of time. I had just gotten my paper out to write down who was taking PKs, so when you see that and feel the girls’ energy, it makes for a special moment.”

The match was a far cry from a meeting in the regular season, when Creekside was without Lewis and Bartram laid on an 8-0 drubbing. That result stuck with the Knights (13-4-2), who came out determined to prove it was an aberration by buckling up tight on the back line.

“That’s a team that scored a lot of goals this year,” Creekside coach Brent Johnson said. “We played them earlier this year and they scored a lot of goals against us, so we knew that part of what we had to do to succeed tonight was to defend. I thought we did an outstanding job of that.”

The Knights’ defense was under siege early, as the Bears controlled possession and converted turnovers into attacking chances — thanks largely to the work of midfielder Courtney Schell.

But those opportunities only produced two wide shots and another long, hopeful strike, and Creekside left back Micaela Demarco and the rest of the defense were up to the task of stopping forward Sam Patterson and a series of through-passes.

Bartram’s best scoring chance of the opening half came with just more than two minutes to play, when right back Madison Caldwell lofted a cross to the far post. A cluster of players from both teams was waiting, but the ball somehow found its way through for a goal kick.

Forced into a defensive mindset, the Knights did well to pounce on a handful of lazy passes but couldn’t get enough players forward to counterattack. Offense was few and far between, but midfielder Kelly McCormack provided the brightest spot when she ran past the Bartram midfield to collect a lofted pass that led to a shot and corner kick. But other than a second-half shot over the crossbar, the Knights never threatened.

And when the Bears came out of the break more intent on pushing forward with a 4-3-3 formation, the result was a beefed-up attack that swung the balance even more in their favor. Six minutes into the second half, Patterson passed inside the box to forward Lucy Phipps, who turned and fired a low shot that Lewis saved. Two minutes later, Bartram was threatening again in front of goal, but two shots were blocked before Patterson booted a third from a tough angle into the side netting. With 16 minutes to go, the Bears found space down the right side, and midfielder Becca Palmer slid in a ground cross. Lewis dove to knock it away, leaving an open net, but Bartram wasn’t able to get a foot on it.

Shortly after, Lewis had to snuff out another attack by coming out of her net to stop a run by forward Kit Loferski, and she added a save a minute later.

All of those failed attacks led to a frantic finish, including a memorable overtime shot by Small that sailed over the goal and struck the crossbar of the football team’s field goal post. But all the frustration was forgotten minutes later when Small finished the job.

For the first time in three years, Bartram wouldn’t be left on the sideline while PV and Creekside represented the district in the playoffs.

“It was us the last two years, and it’s a great feeling to be able to move on,” West said.